Apparatus for drilling and completing wells



QJZLUE@ @CL my T955 R. F. WiLcox APPARATUS FOR DRILLING AND COMPLETING WELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 24, 195C Ray F Wilcox INVENTOR.

Oct. 18, 1955 R. F. wlLcox APPARATUS FOR DRILLING AND COMPLETING WELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1950 Fig. 6

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R. mm. F1 t u! w United States Patent O APPARATUS FR DRILLING AND COMPLETING WELLS Roy F. Wilcox, McCook, Nebr.

Application l Tovember 24, 1950, Serial No. 197,370

6 Ciaims. (Ci. 255-61) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cable drilling tools and a method of using the same to drill and complete wells.

The primary object of this invention is to increase drilling speed and to afford a convenient means for the driller to keep an accurate log of the well.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a cable drilling tool which may be used without casing or drive pipe to prevent cave-ins.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a cable drilling tool and method of operating the same, which will plaster or mud the side walls of the hole to prevent cave-ins.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a vertically reciprocable drilling pipe tool which will cause a niudding circular at the bottom of the well hole.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a drill tool which will rotate in a single direction during vertical reciprocation.

It is still another important object of the present invention to provide a cable-type drilling tool of the hollow type having a valve adjacent its lower end which will not bind or stick in use, and which will reduce and break up a core upon the advance of the drill to prevent a core from jamming the valve.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide jars for rotatably supporting the tool which will not sand up to lock the same against free rotation.

It is also another important object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for ascertaining the water level in a loose sanded formation or other structurally weak formation susceptible to cave-ins before casing oif the formation, so that the well need only be cased after it has been drilled to a suicient depth to produce water in the desired quantities.

A meritorious feature of the present invention resides in the valve and restricted non-circular throat construction at the lower end of the. tool, which will prevent jamming of the valve by a core entering the lower end of the tool, with the non-circular restricted throat serving to wear and break olf such a core during the twisting of the tool about its vertical axis.

Another important feature of the present invention resides in the jar construction provided which will not sand up to prevent rotation of the tool and which also affords a fluid passage through the upper end of the hollow tool.

Still another important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a blade on the jar construction which serves to break up material in the hollow tool.

Final important features to be specifically enumerated herein reside in the provision of slots in the tubular body to afford mud circulation together with the clean-out openings and the removable cover plates therefor, such clean-out openings being adapted to be used in lieu of the slots in the tubular body.

These, together with various ancillary features and rice objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the present invention, this View showing the same in drilling position at the bottom of a well hole;

Figure 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the upper end of the drilling tool illustrating particularly the jar construction shown in side elevation therein;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken upon the plane of the section line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the lower end of the tool, illustrating particularly the restricted throat construction and the manner in which the valve plate is hingedly secured to the tool, the open position of the valve plate being indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 5 is a detail view of a portion of the jar construction, this view showing the same in side elevation with portions broken away to show the internal construction of the same; i

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon the plane of the section line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is another horizontal sectional view of the present invention, this view being taken upon the plane of the section line 7-7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the present invention; and

Figure 9 is a perspective View of the removable closure plate used for a clean-out opening in drilling tool.

Reference is now made more specically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, and in which the drilling tool is designated generally at 10.

As best shown in Figures l and 4, the drilling tool 10 comprises an elongated tubular body 12 that has secured to its lower end, as by welding 14, an annular drilling bit 15. The annular drilling bit 16 is radially enlarged at its lower end as at 1S, and is provided with a cutting edge 20 for a purpose to be seen presently.

An annular valve seat 22 is disposed in the lower end of the body 12 and is seated against the underside of a shoulder 24 therein. As best shown in Figures 4, 7 and S, the valve seat 22 is formed with a non-circular opening 26 therein which tapers upwardly.

In the preferred construction, the inner surface of the bit 16 is circular in transverse section and tapers upwardly and smoothly merges with the surface of welding 2S that secures the valve seat 22 to both the tubular body 12 and the bit lo. The surface of the welding 28 is likewise tapered upwardly and in turn smoothly merges with the side walis of the valve seat 22 defining the opening 26. The inner surface of the welding 2S and the side walls of the valve seat 22 defining the opening 26 are so contoured to smoothly change from the circular form of the bit to what may be generally described as a truncated sector at the most restricted part of the opening 26, that is, the upper end of the opening 26. It will thus be seen that the inner surfaces of the bit 16, the welding 28, and the valve seat 22 define a restricted non-circular throat at the lower end of the body 12, and that the throat 3) tapers upwardly progressively changing from being circular in transverse section to being roughly a truncated sector in transverse section at its upper end. The purpose of the restricted throat 30 will be presently set forth.

A valve plate 32, also having what may be described as the shape of a truncated sector is seated on the valve seat. A hinge trap 34 is riveted to the plate, as at 36, and at the minor end of the plate 32 is hinged to the lower end of the mounting plate 38. The mounting plate 38 is, in

turn, detachably secured to the body 12 by means of threaded fasteners 40 and 42 extending through countersunk smooth bores 44 in the body 12 and threadingly engaging the mounting plate 38. As shown in Figure`4, the fastener 42 extends into the body 12 to limit opening movement of the plate 32 to the alternate position shown in dotted outline at 46.

A jar construction designated generally at 48 is provided at the upper end of the tubular body 12 for supporting the tubular body 12 for rotation about its longitudinal vertical axis. As best shown in Figure 5, the jar construction 48 includes a jar stem 50, the upper end of which is externally, threaded and threadingly engaged in a socket formed at the lower end of a combined jar and connecting member 52, as at 54. A fixed jar or abutment 56 is secured as by welding to the jar stern 50 adjacent its lower end, and the lower end of the jar stem 50 has welded thereto a depending blade or cutter 58 having a transverse opening 60 therethrough; It will be understood that by merely extending a tool through the opening 60 the jar stem 50 may beV secured against rotation and the member 52 easily disengaged from the upper end ofthe jar stem 50. For an illustration of the manner in which the jar stem 50 is mounted in the tubular body 12, attention is directed to Figures 2 and 3, wherein it will be seen that the tubular body 12 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced elongated slots 62. A spider construction is mounted in the slots 62 which includes a plurality of plates 64 seated in the slots 62 to extend radially inwardly into the body 12 to terminate in spaced relationship to each other, the plates 64 being secured to the body 12 as by welding 66. The jar stem 50 is slidably and rotatably received between the inner ends of the plates 64. Reinforcing washers or abutments 68 loosely embrace the jar stem 50 and are secured as by welding or the like to the upper and lower Y ends of the plates 64 in spaced relation to the inner walls of the tubular body 12. It will be noted that the member 52 is spaced above the washers 68 and the jar 56 is spaced below the washers 68 so that relative vertical movement of the jar stem 50 and the body 12 is limitedV by engagement of the member 52 and the jar 56 with the washers 68. In order to prolong the life of the jar construction 43, the present invention includes resilient cushion washers 70 and 72 secured to the member 52 and the jar 56, respectively. It should also be noted at this point that by virtue of the washer 68 being spaced from the inner wall of the tubular body 12, fluids may freely pass vertically through the tubular body 12 past the jar construction 48, and that in addition, the jar stem 50 is journaled in the tubular body 12 in such a manner that the same will not sand up to prevent relative lrotation as occurs in other constructions of this general character.

The upper end of the member 52 is provided with a transverse opening 74 which receives the attaching eye 76 formed at the lower end of a conventional twisted strand steel cable 78. It will be understood that the cable 78 is of the type which will produce torsion when either placed under or released from tension. As thus far described, it will be appreciated that in raising and drop- Y ping the tool by the use of the cable 78, the tubular body 12 will be rotated when the cable 78 is tensioned to raise the same by virtue of the frictional engagement of the cushion washers 72 with the lowermost washer 68.

As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, commencing a considerable distance above the lower end of the tubular body 12, the latter is provided with a plurality of rows of vertically spaced elongated slotsS for a purposerto be presently set forth. In addition, as clearly shown in Figures 2, 3 and 9, the upper end of the body 12 is provided with vertically elongated, circumferentially spaced cleanout openings 82 adjacent the jar construction 48. Closure plates are provided for removably closing the clean-out openings 82, such cover plates each consisting of an elongated plate 84 that is arcuate in transverse cross-section to be substantially of the same curvature as the outside surface of the tubular body 12. The plates 84 are received within the openings 82, and have secured to their lower ends retaining lugs 86 which project downwardly to engage the inner surface of the tubular body 12. The straight transverse bar 88 is secured to the inner side of each of the plates 84 at the end remote from the lugs 86, and the bars and the plates are provided with aligned openings 90 and 92, respectively. Headed threaded fasteners 94 are disposed in the openings 90 and 92, and are rotatably retained therein by means of washers 96 that are secured to the heads of the fasteners 94 that extend radially to be received between the plates 84 and the bars 88, it being noted that the openings 92 are sufficiently large to permit access to the headed end of the fasteners 94 by means of a socket wrench or the like. Mounting bracket plates 98 are welded or otherwise suitably secured to adjacent plates 64 to provide additionalv lateral bracing for the plates 64, and are provided with smooth openings through which the inner ends of the fasteners 94 extend. Nuts 102 are threaded on the inner ends of the fasteners 94 and engaged against the plates 98 to secure the plates 84 in positions closing the openings S2. It will be appreciated that in lieu of the provision of the nuts 102, the openings 100 may be interiorly threaded so as to engage the fasteners 94.

It should be stated in passing that an alternative construction is contemplated in which the clean-out openings 82 are disposed below the plates 64, and a sleeve be rotatably mounted within the body 12 having circumferentially spaced openings that may be selectively rotated to be brought into or out of registry with the openings 82.

It is thought that the use of the present invention will be readily understood. In drilling through formations above ground water level, a fluid level is maintained Within the hole sucient to stand above at least the lowermost of the slots 80. It will thus be seen that the enlarged portion 18 of the bit 16 will cut a hole 104 through the formation 106 slightly exceeding in diameter the outside diameter of the tubular body 12. Upon downward movement of the tool 10, the valve plate 32 is forced upwardly by luid pressure to permit the ow of fluid upwardly into the tubular body 12. Upon raising the tool 10, the valve plate 32 is closed by uid pressure so that a ilnid circuit is established upwardly'through the inside of the tubular body 12, outwardly through the slots 80, downwardly in the annular space in the hole 104 surrounding the tubular body 12, and thence upwardly through the valve into the interior of the tubular body 12. While prepared muds or simply surface soil may be added to water and placed in the tool 10, it has been found in practice that the mere working of the tool 10 in water will provide a drilling fluid of suicient consistency to produce the desired effect of plastering or mudding the side walls of the hole 104 during the circulation of the drilling fluid thereagainst. As is Well known, the plastering or mudding of the walls of a Well hole will seal the same against cave-ins or the like, and it is by virtue of this operation or function of the present invention that the use of casing or drive pipe through structurally weak, or loose sanded formations will prevent cave-ins.

In drilling in formations below ground water level, it is desired to use hydrostatic pressure within the hole 104 to oppose the hydraulic forces existing in the formations that tend to produce cave-ins in thewell hole, and, accordingly, during such drilling a iuid level is maintained within the hole that is above the ground water level existing in the formation or at least at a sufficiently high level to prevent cave-ins. In all other respects, the drilling below ground water level is accomplished in substantially the same manner as above ground water level, and the drilling uid circulates in the same manner and tends to cement or seal the walls of the well hole by plastering or mudding the same.

It will be evident that in using a hole drilling tool of this type that the tool 10 will tend to form a core which will extend upwardly into the lower end of the tubular body 12 that would tend to interfere seriously with the operation of the valve at the lower end of the body; however, in the use of the present invention, the turning effect on the tool produced by the twisted cable 7S coupled with the shape of the upwardly tapered, non-circular throat at the lower end of the body below the valve cooperate to wear down the size of such a core and to break off the same into chunks which may pass upwardly through the valve seat 22 without interfering with the operation of the valve plate 32. In addition, it should be noted that the chunks of material broken oit by the restricted throat will be of small enough size to pass upwardly through the valve without interfering with the operation of the same, but will also be large enough so that upon raising the tool 10 to the surface, the driller may, upon inspection of the same, determine with accuracy the character of the formation through which the tool is passing.

It should also be noted that in the event the slots Sil become congested with material within the tubular body 12 to such an extent that the circulation of the drilling uid would be reduced, the drilling uid will be free to pass upwardly through the tubular body 12 to the exterior of the tool 10 through the passages afforded between the plates 64 and between the washer 68 and the inner surfaces of the tubular body 12, and in fact, such an operation or function of the tool has proven so satisfactory that the slots Sil may be dispensed with entirely if desired. ln addition, the circulation of the drilling fluid may, under certain adverse conditions, be further expedited by the removal of the plates 34 so that the drilling fluid circulation may pass through the openings 82 as well as upwardly past the jar construction 48.

It will be further appreciated that the tool 10 is capable of dual functions, that is, the tool 10 may not only be used as a drill and a drilling huid pump, but may also be used as a bail bucket by virtue of the spacing of the lowermost of the slots 8D above the valve.

The present invention is particularly well adapted for bringing in wells in loose sanded formations. By the expression loose sanded formations it is meant throughout this specification any formation which is structurally weak and susceptible to caving in to the well hole through the action of hydraulic forces obtaining therein. The newly discovered method of completing wells in loose sanded formations resides in drilling into such a loose sanded formation while maintaining a iluid level in the hole suiciently high to prevent the caving in of the formation. Generally speaking, maintaining a iluid level in the hole above the top of the loose sanded formation or above the ground water level therein is suiicient to prevent the caving in of the formation. After the well is drilled to such a depth that it is believed that the same will be capable of producing water in the quantities desired, the present invention contemplates a procedure whereby this fact may be ascertained with certainty prior to the setting of the casing, so that if the well has not been drilled sufficiently deep, the same may be deepened to the necessary extent prior to even going to the time and labor consuming procedure of setting the casing. In the present invention, this may be accomplished by lowering the uid level within the well hole until a cave-in occurs. It has been found by experience that a cave-in brought about in this manner will only occur for a short vertical length of the hole immediately below the fluid level at the time the cave-in occurs. It has also been found that such a cave-in occurs a short vertical distance below the ground water level in the loose sanded formation, so that by knowing the level at which the cave-in occurred, the driller is readily apprised of the approximate location of the ground water level in the formation. Immediately upon the occurrence of the cave-in, and so that the cave-in will be minimized and not creep upwardly in the hole, the driller raises the uid level within the hole, and then drills through the caved in material in the hole. The driller then drills the bottom of the hole to whatever depth is required to produce the desired feet of water head of the ground water level above the bottom of the hole, it being obvious that if the well hole was already sufficiently deep, no further drilling will be required, and the casing may then be set. It has also been found by experience that a cave-in produced under the conditions set forth above will not cause caved in material to fall clear to the bottom of the hole, but such caved in material only extends across the hole at the level of the cave-in so that the same may be readily drilled out without requiring any redrilling below the level of the cave-in. Obviously, if no cave-in occurs at all during the lowering of the level of the fluid within the hole, the hole has not been drilled to a suicient depth below ground water level, or may in fact not even be down to ground water level, under which circumstances the driller will deepen the hole a considerably greater depth and then repeat the above steps.

The tool 10 is well suited for the above method for the reason that the tool may be used both for lowering the fluid level within the hole as well as for raising the same inasmuch as the same serves the auxiliary function of serving as a bail bucket. The advantage in the use of the tool 19 in raising the fluid level in the hole resides in the fact that the uid may be lowered gently into the hole rather than simply poured into the same, which latter procedure would tend to wash down the sides of the hole and thus induce the possibility of a cave-in at a higher level within the hole.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. In a drilling tool, a vertically disposed tubular body, radially inwardly extending elements, the inner ends of which terminate in spaced relation to each other, a vertical ;ar stem slidably and rotatably received between the inner ends of said elements, enlarged abutments spaced on said stem above and below the inner ends of said elements and engaging therewith to limit relative vertical movement of jar stern, the lower end of the jar stern terminating in means for breaking up a material in the body, and a horizontally disposed annular reinforcing member spaced from the body connecting the elements, said body having an opening adjacent said elements, a removable cover plate closing said opening, means connecting the plate to one of the elements for retaining the cover plate in a position closing the opening, one of said abutments being resilient to cushion the shock of the same striking said elements,

2. A well drilling tool comprising an elongated, vertically disposed tubular body, the lower end of the body being provided with a cutting edge, said body having a restricted non-circular throat therein adjacent its lower end which smoothly merges with the cutting edge and tapers upwardly, the upper end of the throat terminating in a shoulder constituting a valve seat, a valve plate seated on the valve seat, said plate being non-circular to conform generally to the shape of the throat and having a minor end, said plate being hingedly connected to the body at its minor end, and means for limiting opening movement of the valve plate.

3. A well-drilling tool comprising a tubular body having a hinged valve therein spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the'body, there being a throat of progressively diminished section from the lower edge of the body upwardly to the valve, which throat changes from a fully circular shape at the bottom through various non-circular sections upwardly of irregular polygonal form to the valve opening which is of somewhat pear shape.

4. A well-drilling tool comprising a tubular body having a hinged valve therein spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the body, there being a throat of progressively diminished section from the lower edge of the body upwardly to the valve, in which the throat is in the form of a truncated cone of circular form at the bottom edge of the body, and of varying polygonal section at various elevations above the bottom.

5. In a drilling tool, a vertically disposed tubular body,

a spider secured inthe upper portion of said tool, said spider including vertically disposed inwardly projecting plates secured to said tubular body, said plates terminating in spaced relation to each other, an annular reinforcing washer secured to said inwardly projecting plates, a vertical jar stem slidably and rotatably received between the spaced ends of said plates, enlarged abutments spaced on said stem above and below said spider and engaging therewith to limit relative vertical movement of said jar stem.

6. A well drilling tool comprising an elongated vertically disposed tubular body, a vertical jar stem slidably and rotataby received in the upper end of said body, the

lower end of said body being provided with a cutting edge, said body having a restricted non-circular throat therein adjacent its lower end, said throat being in the form of a truncated cone of circular form at the bottom of said body and varying polygonal section at various elevations above the bottom and terminating at its upper extremity in an annular shoulder constituting a valve seat,V

a valve hingedly connected to said body and adapted to be seated on said seat, said body having a plurality of vertically spaced slots in the upper portion thereof, the lower portion of said body being imperforate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 49,129 May Aug. 1, 1865 144,475 Phillips et al Nov. 11, 1873 527,237 Downie Oct. 9, 1894 719,004 Hoiman Jan. 27, 1903 839,824 Eaton Ian. 1, 1907 1,117,424 Murray et al Nov. 17, 1914 1,213,652 Johnson Ian. 23, 1917 1,401,488 Nolan Dec. 27, 1921 1,455,010 Swan May 15, 1923 1,570,828 Fisher Jan. 26, 1926 1,839,844 Granger Ian. 5, 1932 2,208,975 Hait July 23, 1940 2,329,461 Flynn Sept. 14, 1943 

